Calling Dunhill Experts - Did I Get A Bargain?

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gtclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 3, 2013
512
3
Late last night I was browsing e-bay pipe listings, and came across a Dunhill Shell sitting around the $40.00 mark. I put in a $50.00 bid for kicks, assuming it would shoot up past the $100 mark in the last few moments.
To my surprise, I won the pipe! Upon closer inspection, I see the pipe looks like it might have been re-stemmed and banded, but I can't tell. I've never even held a Dunhill, and don't know much about them, so I'd appreciate any feedback our resident Dunhill experts can offer. Here is the original listing for reference. Pictures are toward the bottom: E-BAY LISTING
Did I just get the deal of a lifetime, or is $50 about the right price for what it is? Thanks! :puffy:

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,426
11,327
Maryland
postimg.cc
Yes, that is a replacement stem and a repair band. That's about right price wise, given that condition. If the stem is decent it could smoke as well an original.

 

raevans

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2013
273
17
It looks like some repair work has been done on it, but you have an incredible piece of briar, old age and should smoke extremely well. You got it for under fifty bucks? You did very well, enjoy the smoke...

 

rcstan

Lifer
Mar 7, 2012
1,466
8
Sunset Beach NC
Yes, someone cracked the shank, someone else banded it, stem might be a replacement etc. As long as the chamber holds up and the repair wasn't a patch job, it makes an interesting project, and $50 is the right price for it. If the chamber is FUBAR you just bought a piece of wood that says "Dunhill".

 

gtclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 3, 2013
512
3
If the chamber is FUBAR you just bought a piece of wood that says "Dunhill
Here's hoping that's not the case! Thanks everyone for the input - I'll update once I have the pipe in hand and can take a closer look.

 

xrundog

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 23, 2014
737
1
Ames, IA
Yes, that is a replacement stem and a repair band. That's about right price wise, given that condition. If the stem is decent it could smoke as well an original.
I agree with that. It's a patent pipe. So assuming it cleans up okay you get to smoke a patent pipe for $50. Without the band and the right stem it would have cost at least 5 times that.

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
Given the pipe's age (1923-34), from what I'm seeing, I think it's kind of neat!

 

ahpui

Might Stick Around
Jan 16, 2012
62
0
Shank repaired and new stam replaced. Must be a good pipe for the guy to do it.
Might not worth a lot in money but should have smoked great.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,100
A guy on a different forum maintained that well-worn wood, re-stemmed with a high-quality custom stem, made the best pipe. Some tobacco ages well, but other than giving up resins during the cure, I wonder if briar changes at all. We call those changes that tobacco undergoes aging and say that it has aged well when we prefer those changes. This fellow never offered any reasons for his claim that briar ages well.
Be that as it may, I could get excited about your new pipe and hope that it provides many great smokes for you.

 
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